Tag Archives: hearts

Since the United States government shut down in late December 2018, there has been ongoing debates about border security. Democratic leaders have suggested that building a wall to keep refuges out is immoral. Meanwhile, Republican supporters claim that a nation without defined borders will not survive. While this war of words goes back and forth, one voice has been ignored. Every day, the broken, depressed and hopeless build invisible walls to hide the pain deep within their hearts.

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded, James 4:8.

When individuals begin to see their dreams, goals and hope for success slip away, staying optimistic seems impossible. Although some may muster up the strength to fake how you feel, most people withdraw from society. If you don’t have anyone to lean on or share your anguish, walls begin to be erected. Desperate souls may risk becoming vulnerable, pouring out their heart and soul, but if you reveal this information to the wrong person your situation may get worse. Thus, where do you go when no one seems to care?

Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water, Hebrews 10:22.

In 1954, the Philadelphia doo wop group the Capris released the song God Only Knows. Written by Ruben Wright, this single had a dramatic impact on Motown singer Marvin Gaye. Perhaps, this original piece inspired the 2018 version from For King & Country. God Only Knows can be found on the newly released Burn the Ships album. The chorus of this song reflects upon daily struggles that human being endure. “God only knows what you’ve been through; God only knows what they say about you. God only knows that it’s killing you but there’s a kind of love that God only knows.” May the lyrics of this attached song encourage you to draw near to God as you experience disappointment and heartache in life.

When my father was forced to transfer to Cleveland, Ohio to keep his job, I was introduced to cocktail parties. If you want to move from the middle to upper class, I learned that these social events were a necessary evil. These house parties enabled my parents to make new friends. This group called New Clevelanders encouraged parents to bring their own college children to these functions as a way to network as families started over in a new town. I quickly realized that colleges, degrees and majors provided surface level discussions. If you wanted to fit in, going clubbing, drinking and partying were code names into this elite club. I went along with the crowd for a while until conviction made it clear that I was living a lie.

3 Jesus replied, “I will also ask you a question. You tell Me:4 The baptism of John [the Baptist]—was it from heaven [that is, ordained by God] or from men?” – Luke 20:3-4

During the first century, Jesus began to debate religious scholars. Raised in elite and wealthy families, these men were schooled by the best and brightest minds. Meanwhile, Jesus who spent most of his life as a carpenter, void of any formal educational, drew much larger crowds. Thus, resentment manifested in the hearts of these men, jealous of Jesus’ popularity. This culminated in the passage above as Jesus uses John the Baptist to illustrate that authority can come from heaven, not just through earthly institutions. Certain aspects, knowledge and qualities can only be explained as ordained by God despite what earthly wisdom may suggest.

They discussed and debated it among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?’ 6 But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us to death, for they are firmly convinced that John was a prophet,” Luke 20:5-6.

During a breakfast I had with a friend in December, he marveled at my ability to come up with thousands of ideas for my blogs. From an earthly point of view, my only credentials for writing involve teaching poetry at a boarding school. This tangible experience ignited a passion for writing. Nothing in my past pointed to a career in writing. My English grades, grammar and vocabulary were average at best. Yet, just as John the Baptist received a special anointing from God, the Lord has given me the gift of writing in the Spirit. The more in tune with God I become, the deeper my blogs tend to be. However, on occasion, I become unplugged, relying on earthly knowledge, struggling to come up with material for a week. These phases are natural, a by product of human nature. Nonetheless, while earthly credentials do lead to successful writers, I credit my heavenly father for Express Yourself 4Him.

To be just refers to being fair and impartial. The Bible details God’s hatred of those who have been mistreated and oppressed. The term civil refers to behaving according to what is morally right within a just and democratic society. The story behind this concept begins as God uses guilt as a just cause to convict sin despite being invisible (before the actual act) to the human eye.

But each one is tempted when he is dragged away, enticed and baited [to commit sin] by his own [worldly] desire (lust, passion), James 1:14.

While individuals may be able to deceive other human beings for an extended period of time, the truth will come out over eventually. Whether it’s an addiction, a crime or shocking act, the Bible reveals what happens inside the soul before the act of sin emerges. Seeds are planted within minds, temptation waters these thoughts until desire, lust and worldly passion drags the next unlikely candidate down a dark path.

Then when the illicit desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin has run its course, it gives birth to death, James 1:15.

Sadly, headlines from the internet, newspaper or tabloids is the end result of the sinful nature getting the best of a weakened and vulnerable person. After any fall, just as God sends guilt, humbled hearts open the door for forgiveness. To those who comes to their senses, seeking reconciliation, the Holy Spirit moves toward the broken-hearted and crushed in spirit. While this is often not seen in this light, God demonstrates a just cause by extending grace and mercy to the contrite. May these words help you get over failure by embracing God’s forgiveness.

News of an expecting birth is worthy of a celebration in the form of baby shower. After labor ushers into this world a new human being, joy consumes families of this infant. In the years that follow, there are a series of memorable moments, first steps, first words and first day of school. As new parents work together to raise children, celebrating is often replaced by suffering. From childhood to adolescence, life only gets more complicated, especially for first time parents. At some point, celebration fades away as suffering intensifies. I don’t mean to be Ebenezer Scrooge, but this is a reality of life.

Now it happened that the poor man died and his spirit was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom (paradise); and the rich man also died and was buried.23 In Hades (the realm of the dead), being in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom (paradise), Luke 16:22-23.

After sharing the parable of the unjust manager, Jesus transitions into another parable. Entitled the rich man and Lazarus, Jesus highlights a reason to celebrate and another to fear. Using a story about a rich and poor man, Jesus uses a hypothetical scenario to detail what heaven and hell is like. When Lazarus dies, God rewards this poor man with what Jesus calls paradise. Meanwhile, a self-centered rich man who cared only about himself was sent to hell. According to Jesus, hell is a place of eternal suffering, able to see those celebrating above, but unable to do anything to help their agony and pain. This fact should convict and inspire the living to avoid a similar eternal destiny.

And he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in severe agony in this flame,’ Luke 16:24.

In the previous chapter, Luke, a well known first century doctor recalls three parables that illustrate God’s grace, love and mercy. Whether a possession is lost like a coin or pet, heaven celebrates each time a sinner repents. Angels are programmed to embrace hearts that confess the error of their way. Meanwhile, even if you are a prodigal son or daughter who has left your family, God will never abandon you. These stories have been written to urge souls to surrender your life to follow Jesus. Although this road is narrow as detailed by Jesus in Matthew 7:13-14, any worldly suffering that you might endure is worth this decision. Therefore, do not ignore the passage listed above so that your eternal destination will be celebrated at your funeral rather than suffer, not knowing whether you are in heaven or hell.

As a former high school teacher, I understand how and why students struggle to remember important information. Depending upon the day or time, I could tell who was paying attention from those zoned out. Entertainment, social media and video games has influenced this generation, resulting in a shortened attention span. Unless students find a topic interesting, hearts, minds and souls drift off into space. If attending school becomes a drag, getting teenagers interested in spiritual matters can be just as challenging.

Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor (respect) except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household,” Mark 6:4.

To a certain extent, the people living in Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth became spoiled. After his first miracle at a wedding in Cana, there was a growing sentiment that if Jesus just performed one more miracle, then people would believe. This show me mentality is the opposite of genuine faith. Perhaps, some individuals were jealous, not present for Jesus turning water into wine. Thus, expecting God to come through one more time doesn’t seem unreasonable.

And He could not do a miracle there at all [because of their unbelief] except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 He wondered at their unbelief. And He was going around in the villages teaching, Mark 6:5-6.

Nonetheless, a spiritual haze fell upon the citizens of Nazareth. When you add this to the reputation of this town, even one of Jesus’ own disciples questioned if anything good could come out of this place, John 1:46-47. Crime and poverty demoralized many who lived there, setting the stage for a show me, don’t tell me mindset. Thus, Nazareth became like kryptonite to Jesus, unable to perform miracles when returning home. John Mark states that Jesus was surprised by this inexplicable unbelief. This spiritual state prevented individuals from expecting God to come through one more time. Maybe this same condition is influencing Americans today?

Joel Kaplan has been a lifelong friend of Brett Kavanaugh. This relationship compelled Kaplan to attend Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court hearing as a sign of support. This is what friends do, to be there in times of need for those they care about. The only problem for Kaplan is that he is the Vice President of Facebook. As employees of Facebook saw Joel on television sitting behind Kavanaugh, staff became outraged, demanding an explanation. When Kaplan returned to work, he was pressured, bullied into apologizing for being a friend of Kavanaugh.

Then the Israelites did evil in the sight of the Lord and worshiped and served the Baals, Judges 2:11.

Whenever there is an absence of spiritual leadership, individuals begin to follow human nature. After the death of Joshua, who was used to lead Israel into God’s promised land, there was a spiritual void. When no one volunteered to stand up to show others the way, Jews began to do what was right in their own eyes. Throughout the course of history, this cycle repeats itself until convicted hearts repent, confessing the error of their ways by turning back to follow God. Based upon recent current events, progressive leaders are stepping up to redefine right from wrong.

And they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt. They followed other gods from the gods of the peoples who were around them, and they bowed down to them, and offended and provoked the Lord to anger. 13 So they abandoned the Lord and served Baal [the pagan god of the Canaanites] and the Ashtaroth, Judges 2:12-13.

Apparently, there is some new Bible, source of truth, that I am not aware of. This new standard evidently claims that president Trump is evil and anyone who follows or supports him is a bad person. These beliefs are being enforced by protestors, hoping to scare others from publicly supporting likeminded candidates, leaders and politicians. While president Trump has his flaws, allowing loose lips and undisciplined tweets to express unnecessary comments, no one should bow down to bullies. As worldly influences continues to challenge what you think and believe, may the power of the Holy Spirit give you the courage to stand up and reinforce the values you hold dear.

Depending upon the church you attend or attended, pastors focus on different aspects of Christianity. Some emphasize altar calls, asking convicted hearts to enter into a personal relationship with Jesus. Others challenge believers to live out their faith seven days a week, being a light to the world outside of church. Unfortunately, few discuss a painful reality, obedience to God brings opposition from the world.

“If the world hates you [and it does], know that it has hated Me before it hated you,” John 15:18.

In the past two months, Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh has been verbally crucified by the media daily. While sexual assault accusations have received most of the headlines, you have to read between the lines understand the motivation behind these attacks. First, Kavanaugh is a devout Catholic who isn’t afraid to express his faith. Second, Kavanaugh will likely defend and protect pro-life cases. Thus, an obedience to support life in the past has alarmed abortion activists to attack this man of God.

19 If you belonged to the world, the world would love [you as] its own and would treat you with affection. But you are not of the world [you no longer belong to it], but I have chosen you out of the world. And because of this the world hates you, John 15:19.

No one wants to be hated. Human nature creates a desire within to be embraced and loved. Yet, one day Jesus revealed a side of Christianity to his disciples that is hard to grasp. Obedience to God brings opposition? Really? Well, if your life is a living example of Christ, shining light into darkness, this will expose flaws within the lives of others. Thus, this will lead to resentment and in some cases hatred. Therefore, if you want a complete perspective of what to expect as a Christian living in 2018, obedience to God brings opposition from the world.